Parallels

1:48 am

Sun June 16, 2013

Burning Down The House: Artistic Freedom Under Fire In Egypt

Egyptian employees of the Cairo Opera House and opponents of Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Morsi hold placards during a demonstration inside the opera's compound in Cairo on May 30, following the dismissal of the head of the opera house. The firing is the latest salvo in a cultural war between artists and the ruling Muslim Brotherhood.

Enas Abdel-Dayem, former head of the Cairo Opera House (center), is greeted by employees and activists on May 30 as they chant anti-Muslim Brotherhood slogans during a protest demanding the resignation of Egypt's culture minister.

Amr NabilAP

On the morning of Oct. 28, 1971, Egypt woke up to a shock: The Khedivial Royal Opera House was on fire. The 100-year-old, rococo-style architectural gem in downtown Cairo burned to ashes. Ballet costumes, theater sets, musical instruments and velvet curtains were all gone.

Now, 40 years later, the new Cairo Opera House is on fire. This time, the threat isn't faulty electric equipment but administrative decisions that Egyptian artists say are fatal to their rich cultural scene.

For three days, Egyptian artists canceled concerts, ballets and operas at the country's biggest performance venue. Last week, they took their dancing and singing to the culture minister's office, engaged in a vibrant sit-in that has entered its second week. They vow not to leave until the culture minister does.

The angry protesters say the firing is an example of how the ruling Muslim Brotherhood is trying to control Egypt's cultural scene through the new minister. Some fear the Islamists are trying to suppress artistic expression that runs counter to their conservatism.

Similar culture clashes have been playing out in other Arab countries over the past couple of years as Islamists have risen to power and moved against more secular institutions.

Other Dismissals

In addition to Abdel-Dayem, Egypt's culture minister has fired seven senior figures from top positions in the ministry for no legitimate reasons, according to the protesters.

"Since the day he was appointed, [the culture minister] has issued random, irrational and illegal decisions and fired successful leaderships, complying with the instructions of the ruling regime and attempting to eradicate the identity of the nation," conductor Nayer Nagui announced from the stage.

Behind him, the cast held banners condemning the "Brotherhoodization" of Egyptian culture. In front of him, spectators chanted "Long Live Egypt!"

However, its strike opens a new, high-profile battlefield for Egyptians dismayed at the country's direction since the 2011 uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak and led to the election of the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi as Egypt's leader. It's a decision that's created political polarization over the country's identity.

Growing Tensions

The current culture war is a part of this clash. In the narrow downtown Cairo street that separates the Opera House from the Culture Ministry, supporters and opponents of the culture minister stand face to face. Tension, metal barricades and police personnel on high alert separate them.

"This comment [by the Nour lawmaker] is not a comment. It is a potential draft law," says poet Fatema Naoot, noting the rise of political Islam in post-revolutionary Egypt. "Previously, we would leave them, we would say this is freedom of speech."

"But now that these people are our lawmakers, they have the ability to deprive us from [the arts] if they want to," she says.

Naoot and other artists and authors say they are determined to win what they call "The Battle of the Opera." They're part of the group that stormed the Culture Ministry and vows to occupy its headquarters until the minister resigns.